Hoisin Sauce is a condiment that can be found in Asian grocery stores and traditional supermarket chains. It’s made from several different ingredients, such as soybean, garlic, vinegar and sugar.
Though this sauce has been common in Chinese cuisine for centuries, it has made its way to Western kitchens only recently. Hoisin sauce has become an essential condiment for many dishes, such as Asian wraps or pork chops.
If you decide to use hoisin in a recipe, and you can’t find one that uses the right amount of sauce, you can try one of these hoisin sauce substitutes.
What Is Hoisin Sauce?
Hoisin sauce is a thick, deep red-colored sauce from China with a sweet and spicy flavor that originates from hoisin ingredients. It can be either made at home or bought in a store pre-made. The ingredients for cooking it at home include water, hoisin sauce, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and vinegar while buying it from the store includes pears, garlic cloves and sesame oil.
Hoisin sauce is used in many different Asian cuisines, mainly Chinese. It can be used as a marinade for meats and tofu and also works well as a sauce or dip for dumplings, egg rolls, broccoli and rice.
Hoisin sauce is made with soybean paste that is fermented with wheat flour and other ingredients such as sugar, salt and chilies. The paste mixed with vinegar, garlic, sesame oil and other spices form the base of the hoisin sauce. After this base is made, sugar peas are added to give it its unique sweet taste.
Hoisin Sauce is used for meat dishes like meatballs, stir-fries, soups and more. It also goes great with egg rolls, dumplings and tofu.
Best Hoisin Sauce Substitutes
1. Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is a great substitute for hoisin sauce. Soy sauce is made up of a lot of sodium so it’s going to give your dish some flavor and an added punch that you normally wouldn’t get with other sauces. It also has a bit of sweetness to it, which makes it perfect for things like vegetables or chicken.
A big difference between soy sauce and hoisin sauce is that soy sauce will have more of a salty taste to it than the sweet taste that hoisin will have. The best part about using this as a substitute is you can use it regularly without being too worried about the calories because this stuff has tons of them! Plus, soy sauce isn’t usually very complicated so it’s easy to whip up anytime that you need one!
2. Barbecue Sauce
Barbecue sauce is a condiment that originates from the southern United States. Barbecue sauce can be used as a spread or as an ingredient in cooking. Barbecue sauce can substitute hoisin sauce because it may have similar features to it, such as being sweet and spicy.
Barbecue sauces are often sweeter but contain more acidity than most other types of sauces. This gives foods cooked with barbecue sauces a tangy flavor that works well with grilled dishes, vegetables, and even sandwiches. Another benefit of using barbecue sauce for cooking is that it requires less sugar than ketchup or molasses to taste just as sweet on your food. So, by using barbecue sauce, you are not adding more sugar to your food. It is a healthier choice for you too since it does not contain refined sugars.
3. Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki sauce is a Japanese sauce that is typically made of sugar, soy, mirin, rice wine vinegar and garlic. It is used as a condiment in East Asian cuisine. Teriyaki can be substituted with hoisin sauce because they are both sweet and savory thickened sauces. Some of the benefits include that it can add flavors to vegetables or meats without actually adding any liquid ingredients.
With the use of Teriyaki Sauce, you will find more complex flavor profiles than with just using Hoisin Sauce and not having to worry about an overly dry dish as well!
4. Black Bean Sauce
This sauce is a very popular in many Asian countries. It has many benefits as it can be used in both cold and hot cooking, and it is easy to prepare since a large amount of ingredients are needed. Black bean sauce also has unique flavors that cannot be found with other traditional recipes for sauces.
In addition, black bean sauce can also substitute for hoisin sauce. In this dish, black bean dipping sauce replaces hoisin as the dipping component. It has slightly more flavors than the traditional recipe which creates a delicious combination of tangy-spicy that makes this an excellent substitute for hoisin vinegar-based sauces with up to 40% less sodium!
5. Oyster Sauce
Oysters are extremely popular throughout the world because of their succulent taste and chewy texture. They have been considered to be one of the top seafood dishes all around the world due to their fresh flavor and great taste. But apart from being an excellent dish on its own merit, oysters can also provide several health benefits to those who consume them regularly. Oysters are an excellent source of calcium, manganese, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Oyster sauce can be used as a substitute for hoisin sauce in many dishes such as stir-fries, casseroles and so on.
Oyster sauce is an excellent substitute for hoisin sauce because it closely resembles the taste of hoisin sauce. The main ingredients that make up oyster sauce are oysters, soy sauce and sugar. Similar to hoisin sauce, there are other ingredients added to oyster sauce as well; however these ingredients can vary from brand to brand. These ingredients include garlic, onions, ginger and wine or sherry which can add a unique taste to the dish whereas other flavors such as chili pepper and so on can also be added.
6. Garlic Teriyaki
Garlic Teriyaki is a sauce that has been developed to replace Hoisin Sauce which contains high amounts of salt and sugar. It consists mainly of garlic, soy sauce, and ginger.
It adds a different flavor to the dish that you are cooking due to the combination of flavors such as ginger and garlic. It also provides saltiness and sweetness to your food thereby improving taste.
The main ingredient in Garlic Teriyaki is soy sauce; this makes it possible for use as a substitute for Hoisin Sauce. The saltiness of the soy sauce can also be adjusted to suit your taste. When substituting, take note of ingredients that you already have in stock since Garlic Teriyaki is a mixture of different ingredients.
[wps_note size=”17″ background=”#fae588″ color=”#333333″ radius=”3″]Garlic Teriyaki is not exactly like Hoisin Sauce but comes close. It provides sweetness and a hint of garlic, the texture is thicker and has a darker color due to the soy sauce.[/wps_note]
7. Miso Paste
Miso paste is a paste made from fermented soybeans and grains and is the predominant flavoring in Japanese cooking. The aroma, unique savory flavor, dark color and slightly salty taste can impart umami to food. Umami is a type of flavor that has been described as savory, meaty, or deeply satisfying in foods such as mushrooms, sake or miso soup with seaweed.
Miso Paste can substitute for hoisin sauce because it will add flavor while being more healthful as it uses less sugar that most other sauces. It also contains beneficial bacteria called lactic acid bacteria which helps enhance the health benefits of your meal both directly and indirectly by improving digestion.
8. Fish Sauce
Fish sauce is a condiment and dipping sauce that is used in cooking. It is made of fermented anchovies and salt and is perfect for cooking seafood dishes, such as pho or Thai stir-fries. Fish sauce can also be used to substitute hoisin sauce, which has a stronger taste than fish sauce.
These sauces are made by fermenting small fish with an enzyme for some time to break down the protein in the fish so it becomes more flavorful while also reducing its smell. The flavor of the fish gets mixed with other ingredients like rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt to produce a unique taste and smell.
How To Make Your Own Hoisin Sauce?
FAQs
1. How is Hoisin Sauce Made?
The ingredients for the base of this sauce include water, soybean pastes (usually made from chickpeas or soybeans), garlic cloves and sugar peas (also known as garlic seeds). This mixture is cooked in a wok to help reduce the amount of oil that might be released from the paste. Then, vinegar, sesame oil and chilies are added to the sauce.
2. What Does Hoisin Sauce Taste Like?
The flavor of this sauce ranges from sweet and sour to spicy. The rich flavor usually comes from using a lot of soybean paste along with sugar peas and garlic. H oisin sauce also has a thick consistency that feels sticky when you try to take it off your hands after touching it.
3. Where Is It Usually Served?
Hoisin sauce is used to prepare Chinese dishes like Peking duck, dumplings, barbecue pork buns or chicken wings . It is also used to prepare a dish called Mapo tofu which uses tofu, ground meat and hoisin sauce as its main ingredients.
4. How Can I Use Hoisin Sauce?
Hoisin sauce can be used in the following ways:
- As a marinade for pork or chicken, then baked or grilled until done. It can also be used as a dip for egg rolls, dumplings or other fried foods that are cooked in a wok.
- To make a dipping sauce for broccoli, rice and other vegetables that need to be dipped in something before eating it.
- As an ingredient for soups like beef stew or hot-and-sour soup .
- In stir-fries, broiled dishes or glazes for meats.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we have given you a list of the best alternatives to Hoisin Sauce that has been prepared for you based on your interests. You can try any one of them out without worrying about the taste going awry. We have given suggestions of substitutes for those who are completely confused with of the taste and texture difference among these alternatives.
We wish you good luck in making your own version and let us know your views on this article in the comment section below. Thank you!
